Shloka 3.64.71
गोदावरीतटे सीतान्वेषणम् — The Search for Sītā at the Godāvarī
तथारुपां हि वैदेहीं न दास्यन्ति यदि प्रियाम्।नाशयामि जगत्सर्वं त्रैलोक्यं सचराचरम्।।।।
tathārūpāṃ hi vaidehīṃ na dāsyanti yadi priyām | nāśayāmi jagat sarvaṃ trailokyaṃ sacarācaram ||
If they do not return my beloved Vaidehī to me in her true state, I will destroy the entire cosmos—the three worlds with all that moves and all that does not.
If my beloved Vaidehi is not given back to me in her true form I will destroy the three worlds with all animate and inanimate beings.
It underscores that dharma is not merely power or intention; it is proportion and restraint. The threat to destroy all beings shows how adharma can arise from excess, even in pursuit of truth and justice.
Rāma’s desperation peaks: he demands Sītā’s safe return ‘as she is,’ otherwise he imagines annihilating the cosmic order.
Total fidelity to his spouse and to justice—yet the episode highlights the necessity of self-governance as part of virtue.